C1 Swiftbreaker

In one of the houses at the Outer Sect of the Swiftbreaker Sect.

"Eldest Senior Brother, it's time for morning class!"

Fu Chengyang opened his eyes and responded, "Alright, you go ahead. I'll be right there after I tidy up."

He gathered his inner Qi and stood up, only to find, unsurprisingly, that he had made no progress.

Fu Chengyang sighed inwardly. They say others are blessed with a Goldfinger when they cross over, climbing to the pinnacle of life with ease. But him? He was graced with nothing more than mediocre talent and an unremarkable family background.

With some difficulty, he had managed to enter the most prestigious sect in the Immortal World, thanks to his precocious childhood. Yet, in the blink of an eye, he was overtaken by true geniuses.

Despite his sighs, life had to go on. Fu Chengyang got ready and stepped out, heading toward the Outer Sect's lecture hall.

The elder who had taken him under his wing had once declared that while he was diligent, his lack of innate talent would keep him from glimpsing the Great Dao. True to that assessment, he had spent over a decade in the Outer Sect without a single achievement, despite his unwavering attendance at the lecture hall.

As Fu Chengyang neared his destination, he found his path blocked by a bustling crowd.

"What makes you think you're fit to attend our class?!" A girl with an unkind face was pushed to the ground, yet she defiantly met the eyes of the crowd around her.

"Scram, you're the nuisance!" she retorted, spitting out in defiance.

"I'm just standing outside the door. How does that bother you? The Sword Ancestor said all beings are equal, and everyone has the right to pursue the Great Dao. What right do you have to say I can't listen?" Her face showed stubbornness, but she refused to shed tears.

Her words caught Fu Chengyang off guard. He hadn't intended to get involved, but now he couldn't help but look at her.

Isn't that his servant disciple?

As Fu Chengyang was momentarily lost in thought, a voice resonating with the profound essence of the Dao whispered in his ear:

Name: Lu Xingyao

Stage: Ninth Level of Qi Refinement

Destiny: Reincarnation of an Immortal Lord (Perfect), Beauty of an Immortal (Perfect)

Destiny: Rebirth from the Abyss (Perfect), Surging Fortune (Perfect), Sacred Heart (Perfect)

Life Plot: The Female Lead of "The Legend of Xingyao's Cultivation"

Favorability: 0

Recent Turn of Events: In ten days, by a stroke of luck, he stumbled upon the Heaven Stairway and ascended the Ninety-Nine Heaven Steps in one go. His exceptional talent was revealed, and he was taken on as the Sect Master's personal disciple, rising to the rank of Goddess.

Wow, the Ninety-Nine Heaven Steps! Fu Chengyang gasped in astonishment, but the golden luminescence of the text was so bright and clear, it assured him this was no dream.

Outer Sect disciples have the chance to compete every three months. The top ten earn the opportunity to challenge the Heaven Stairway. Reaching the tenth step signifies decent aptitude and entry into the Inner Sect. Ascending to the twentieth step indicates superior aptitude, making one eligible to be a personal disciple of an elder.

And so it continues. Only those who reach the fortieth step can become personal disciples of the Sect Master. As for the Ninety-Nine Heaven Steps, it's been a century since a Goddess emerged from the Swiftbreaker Sect, which speaks volumes about the difficulty of the feat!

In a mere moment, a man had already cornered Lu Xingyao.

"Hmph! The audacity of a lowly servant to insult me! It seems you don't understand the vastness of the heavens and the earth. I'll have to teach you a lesson!" The man's face turned dark as he swung his hand toward Lu Xingyao's face.

This can't be happening!

Fu Chengyang's mind raced with the details of Surging Fortune: Purple Qi from the East, blessings that stretch on endlessly. Favored by the Heavenly Dao, the beloved daughter of heaven receives its partiality, and with it, the favor of the Heavenly Dao itself.

In a split second, as the man's hand was about to strike Lu Xingyao, who had already braced herself for the blow with eyes shut tight, his wrist was suddenly seized by a strong hand with distinct knuckles.

"You!" The man tried to jerk his hand free, but it wouldn't budge.

It was then that Fu Chengyang noticed the inconspicuous lines of text above the man's head, barely visible in the golden light. Simultaneously, a narrative voice began to slowly unfold.

Name: Liu Rongwei

Level: First Level of Foundation Establishment

Life Matrix: Death Cannon Fodder (Ash)

...

Life matrices are categorized into eight levels: black, grey, white, green, blue, red, gold, and perfect. The perfect level is unsurpassed, white is average, black signifies a jinx reincarnation, and grey is the epitome of mediocrity, often succumbing to minor misfortunes and unlikely to last beyond three episodes.

Fu Chengyang's gaze traveled down the list until the last line made his pupils contract sharply.

Recent Turn of Events: While practicing swordsmanship in the back mountains, he stumbled upon the Five Spirits Art. Subsequently, Fu Chengyang seized it, providing him with a significant boost on his path to defying destiny.

This! Defying the heavens? As an avid reader of underdog stories, Fu Chengyang instantly recognized that the Goldfinger he had been awaiting for over two decades had finally appeared!

His heart swelled with excitement, and he longed to dash to the back mountains. His face betrayed his eagerness, but to the oblivious Liu Rongwei, it conveyed a different sentiment.

"What? Upset about the dog you hit?"

Liu Rongwei assumed Fu Chengyang was defending Lu Xingyao and scoffed arrogantly, "Fu Chengyang, think it over. Do you really want to oppose me over someone so insignificant?"

What did it matter if he was the eldest senior brother? He was nothing more than a has-been with no real cultivation!

Liu Rongwei's words snapped Fu Chengyang out of his reverie, but not in the way Liu Rongwei had anticipated.

The next moment, a scream tore through the sky!

"You! Fu Chengyang!" Liu Rongwei's arm was crushed, leaving him writhing in agony on the ground.

"Liu Rongwei, I suggest you watch your tongue," Fu Chengyang said, his eyes glacial. With a flick of his sleeve, a sword gleamed and then a sound akin to slicing tofu followed as a long sword impaled the ground between Liu Rongwei's legs. "Touch my people again, and I will cripple you."

Lu Xingyao stood to the side, her head bowed, having picked herself up from the ground. At the mention of "my people," she shuddered, disbelief flickering in her eyes. Since her mother's passing, no one had stood up for her like this. Lu Xingyao averted her gaze, hiding her emotions.

Meanwhile, Liu Rongwei, who had narrowly escaped a grave injury, was visibly shaken. Fear glinted in his eyes as he stammered, "Aren't you afraid of the Yu family's retaliation?"

The Yu family? Fu Chengyang couldn't help but smirk. They were merely a third-tier family in the Cultivation World, and Liu Rongwei's so-called backing from the Yu family was nothing more than the Inner Sect disciple Yu Yaolu.

In the past, he might have been somewhat wary, but now, what was the Yu family to him?

Liu Rongwei mistook Fu Chengyang's silence for intimidation and grew bolder. "I belong to the Yu family! I suggest you and your dog kneel and beg for mercy. Perhaps then I'll consider sparing your life." He swaggered, already picturing Fu Chengyang on his knees, weeping.

"Heh!"

With a fierce look in his eyes, Fu Chengyang uttered just one word, "Scram!" The atmosphere tensed, and a palpable wave of murderous intent burst forth, enveloping Liu Rongwei like a tempest.

Yet, Liu Rongwei, a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator, had the audacity to spout such insolence.